San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-10-13
added. stnmning her foot.

| lietS" replied "why, half the town.
we were In Lancaster then-"half the
town is at your feet already. | inter-
cepted two love letters yesterday, and
| kicked the grocer's apprentice the day be-
fore for trying TO get Mrs. Mould TO give
| you a billet dOuX from himself. Come,
dear, we will trust one another. | will
try and prove myself man-get an en-
gagement, make a name on the London
stage, and come back with money and an
offer TO act Romeo TO your Juliet at Drury
Lane. Think of that, my dearest, and
dry your eyes. Your father does not OBJ
ject TO me, you know; he only wants me
TO make an income. Come, Juliet, let us
say goodby. 1t is only for short time,
and shall come back with all sorts Of
reasons in my pocket for persuading your
fathers consent"
So we parted, with many more prom
ises Of trust and fidelity, and after break
ing sixpenny bit between us. Juliet's
piece is buried with her; mine is hanging
at my heart, and will be, before long,
buried with me beside her
Oh! the weary journey to London in
those days, especially outside the coach,
and for poor man not incumbered with
too many wraps. However, / arrived at
length, and found myself in the streets
that are supposed to be paved with gold,
with couple of sovereigns in my pocket.
But | was brimful of hope London
was a kindly stepmother, who received
adopted sons by the thousand, and led
them TO fame and wealth. | thought Of
Garrick, Of Dick Wilmington and all the
rest who came mp to town poorer, far
poorer than myself, and took comfort. i
secured a lodging at modest rent, and
made my way to Drury Lane-the stage
door.
| found no opening at Drury Lane; not
even vacancy for a supernumerary.
There We're not many London theatres in
1928, and | found the same hing every
where-more applications than places to
give.
/ tried the Greenwich and the Rich
mond theatres with the same i'll success.
Then | endeavored to get @ country en-
gagement, but / even failed there. / had
no friends to recommend me, and my
single experience with Kerrans' strolling
troupe did not tell so much in my favor
as had hoped.
My ambition naturally took town
flight. l had intended to make my ap-
pearance on the metropolitan stage as
Romeo, my iavorite part, and at once to
take the town by storm. / was prepared
to give them an intelligent and novel in
depreciation of Hamlet And | was not
unwilling to undertake Macbeth, Othello,
or even Prince Hal.
When these hopes became evidently
grounded on nothing but the baseless
fabrication of a dream, | resolved on be-
ginning with second parts. Horatio
MercutiO, Paris, were, after all, charac-
tiers worthy the work of rising artist.
Again there seemed no chance.
The stage always wants young men Of
general utility. / would go anywhere
and take anything. | offered to do so,
but although hopes were held out to me
by the theatrical agent, somehow he had
nothing at the moment in his gift
Nothing; not even a vacancy for ira
gedian at Richardson's show; not even a
chance for Bartholomew fair
1t took me fortnight to run down the
scale from Hamlet say, to Francis, the
warder. While nassed through this de-
scending gamut Ct ambition my two SOW
ereigns were melting away with rapidity
quite astonishing.
The rent took five shillings that was
paid in advance. Then / was extrava-
CANT in the matter of eating, and took
III &c a , blltb ilOl
to satisfy my vigorous appetite Once or
twice, too, paid for admission to the pit,
and saw, with sinking heart, what real
acting means. My heart failed, because |
perceived that ] had to begin all over
again, and from the very bottom of the
ladder.
Then l had to buy new pair of boots.
1t was always n trouble to me, the rapid
wearing out of leather.
And then there was something else; and
then one morning found myself without
a siXpenCe in my pocket. And then be-
gan for the first time to become seriously
alarmed about the future.
Ihad one or two things which l could
pawn-a watch, waistcoat, few odds
and ends in the way of wardrobe and
few books-on the proceeds of them l
lived for whole week; but at last, after
spending twopence in the purchase of a
penny loaf and a savelOy for breakfast,
found myself not only penniless, but also
without the means of procuring another
penny at all, because had nothing left to
pawn.
Many young fellow has found himself
in a similar predicament, but l doubt
whether any one ever became so desper-
ately hungry as | did on that day. l
recollect that, having rashly eaten up my
sausage before O'Clock, l felt a sinking
toward -; it was aggravated by the
savory smell of roast meat which steamed
from the cook shops and dining rooms as
/ walked along the streets. About
O'Clock l gaZed with malignant envy on
the happy clerks who could go in and
order platefuls of the roast and boiled
which smoked in the windows, and threw
a perfume more delicious than the sweet
est strains of music into the streets where
| fingered and looked And at 2 l OBJ
served the diners come out again, walk
ing more slowly, but with an upright and
satisfied air while 1.-THE sinking had
been succeeded by dull, gnawing pain
was slowly doubling up. At 2s90 felt
as if l could bear it no longer. / had
been walking about, trying different offices
for a clerkship. | might as well have
asked for a partnership. But l could
walk no more. leaned against post
it was in Bucklersbury-oppos dining
room, where hares, fowls and turkeys
were piled in the window among a bound
less prodigality and wealth Of carrots,
turnips and caulitlowers, till my senses
swan at the contemplation. ] longed for
caldron in which to put the whole con-
tents of the shop front, and eat them at
one Gargantuan repast. My appetite,
already alluded to, was hereditary; one of
the few things l can remember of my
mother was constant complaint that my
father used to eat her out of house and
home, To be sure, from other scraps Of
information handed down by tradition,
have reason TO believe that the word eat
ing was used as figure of speech-the
part for the whole--and included drink
ing was good at both, and as trench